Chapter Eleven: Reconnaissance Turned Horror
After thinking for a long period of time, Walter finally came up with what you could call a perfect plan. He hadn't been so pleased all his life that he had to narrate his plan to the talkative Imaginary Cluster.
"So, you're gonna visit the museum this afternoon?" a puzzled face appeared on the mirror with the right eyebrow raised higher than the left.
"Yes," Walter nodded in a satisfactory way. To him, his plan was the best plan he had ever come across. Not even MCs in movies could contend with him now, so he thought.
"What are you gonna do at the museum?" Imaginary Cluster asked. Hearing this, Walter knew what was coming his way.
Taking a deep breathe, Walter replied, "I'm gonna take a detour around the Museum this afternoon to familiarize myself with the place."
"Oh!" Imaginary Cluster's voice became more excited than ever. "I see...So you're now Sherlock Holmes. Too bad you cannot be as smart as he was."
Walter's face turned pale. Imaginary Cluster, can you learn some manners and do without insulting people? It's not fair at all.
But then, he explained, "You see, what I saw in the divination can't be fully trusted. You know what I mean?
"What do you mean?" three frowning emojis appeared on the mirror.
Huh? Emojis? Walter was momentarily at loss. When did this mystical item become that digitalized?
"In the divinations about the Book Of Mysteries, there were no revelations about the sorcerers or people in the museum. Moreover, you didn't show how the situation of today would be," Walter pointed out the errors.
"So you're blaming me?" Imaginary Cluster said. "You should blame yourself for being so stupid not to ask the right questions. You're such a dumbass to even make use of me. All you do is talk like a one-year old child who suffered from a feral mind case."
"What's up with the insults?" Walter asked with a frown. "I was just pointing out errors."
"Yeah," the mystical item scoffed. "Too bad I'm an awesome mirror and not some stupid smartphone or you'd pass out as a good autocorrect for my keyboard. Who knows? You may win multiple awards in that area."
Sigh...Walter heaved a sigh. If he continued arguing with this talkative mystical item, then he was bound to talk till the next day. He was very sure that Imaginary Cluster could continue chattering on for days.
Sigh...he heaved another sigh, thinking about his whole family. He wasn't really thinking about his extended family but his nuclear familiar. Jane and he had had misunderstanding and were yet to patch up. Amber had never received any fatherly care from him and he was yet to shower her with care. Why were they kidnapped in such a situation? Why were they kidnapped when he had not recovered from Mac's death? Why and why?
He didn't receive any answers to his questions and could only keep on sighing in lampoonery. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled warm air.
He had to do his reconnaissance as soon as possible to avoid any of his family members losing their lives.
He was still thinking when the room suddenly became dark, the familiar evil and corruptive aura seeping into it. He could feel his Magical Body been drained and corrupted slowly.
Castor, he mentioned the name inwardly with a pang of hatred in his heart. He could tell it was him from the aura he dispelled. If it wasn't for his strong will, he would have been fully corrupted.
"You've still not gotten the Book," Castor said from the shadows. "Have you?"
"No," Walter replied. "I was going to do a recon in the afternoon."
"Too bad your recon is wasting my time," Castor said. "You're testing my patience."
"Wow," it wasn't Walter but Imaginary Cluster. "Patience you say. Me who's patiently waited in some scrawny shop for years."
Walter wanted to reprimand Imaginary Cluster and shun him from speaking, but then he noticed something. Castor appeared not to have heard the mystical item talk and still continued.
"Time waits for nobody, not even your family. Time is too precious to be wasted and that's exactly what you're doing."
"Walter," Imaginary Cluster called. "Hehe. He can't see or hear me. No one can apart from you. I wanted to say, 'owner' but thought otherwise. Considering the fact that I tell you stuffs, right from left and left from right, I look more of an owner to you than you to me..."
"Give me more time," Walter said. He couldn't bring himself to beg and had to speak calmly. "Give me more time and I'd get you the book."
"It's too bad you've wasted my time," Castor said. "And everytime you waste my time, you will lose ten family members."
"What do you mean?" Walter was alarmed on hearing that. What did this psycho plan on doing to his family members?
"Haha!" Castor laughed. "I've counted the whole bunch of them. They're just fifty in total. It'd just take five times to kill all of them."
"What do you mean?!" Walter was very angry and couldn't suppress his anger.
"I mean this," Castor said. A hand reached out of nowhere, holding a large black canvas bag.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A crimson liquid was dripping out of the bag continuously, vaporizing immediately it touched the ground.
Walter smelt it. The stench of blood. Seeing this, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock. Did he actually kill his family members?
The hand dropped the bag on the ground, opened it and turned it over.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several human heads fell out of the bag, tumbling on the marble floor and coming to rest at Walter's feet. Their eyes which were without life stared right into Walter's face, sending chills down his spine. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...Ten heads!
Walter recognized the heads and couldn't help but shiver. Castor actually killed ten of his family members and cut off their heads!
This filled him with more hatred for Castor and he couldn't help but think of killing him with his bare hands. But then, he couldn't since his hands were tied. Castor had the rest of his family members! Who knows what he would do to them when Walter tried to kill him and he escaped.
"Y-you killed them," Walter's expression was filled with shock. He hadn't seen something this horrible in all his life as an Arcane Guard.
"And I'd kill more the more time you waste," Castor said. "I may as well kill all of them."
Suppressing his turbulent wave of emotion, Walter asked, "If I get this book, where should I meet you?"
Walter knew that getting the book wasn't an easy task. Castor should know as well. If he managed to get the book, it wouldn't be long till the sorcerers discovered it and tail him. The Arcane Safety Department would no doubt be notified and several teams of Arcane Guards would all go in search for him. He would spend those moments running and hiding from them. It would be impossible for Castor to meet him in such a perilous period as the sorcerers would sense him immediately. No doubt, they would use their most powerful spells.
So, he had to plan where to meet with Castor to make matters simpler. He would actually head to the designated spot and give him the book in exchange for his family members. Simple.
"Don't even think of bringing in those Arcane Guards," Castor warned. "You're not smart, you know."
"I wasn't planning on doing that," Walter said with a grim expression. "Just tell me the location where we would meet."
Everywhere became silent, Castor not replying. It seemed he was in deep thought. Then he said, "Meet me at MythVille Woods."
Walter nodded, still trying hard to suppress his emotions. He knew this woods. Everyone did. It was the only woods in MythVille City and was located west of the city, very far from the museum. Castor probably chose this place to help Walter buy more time to keep the sorcerers and Arcane Guards who would probably be chasing him, off his back.
"Good," Castor said. "I'd be waiting at MythVille Woods."
Crack!
Tiny cracks appeared on the skins of the heads, yellow pus oozing out. Walter could feel evil and corruptive auras seeping out of the heads. He couldn't help but clench his fists upon seeing the horrible sight. Castor was a wicked soul!
Boom!
The heads exploded into thick mists of evil and corruptive auras, filling the whole room.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Walter's heart was now racing very fast. He was seething with anger but he could only sit helplessly and do nothing. Maybe it was because he could do absolutely nothing!
When the auras were dispelled, Castor said, "That's just a warning. The next would be more than ten. Thirty-eight would be the perfect number."
"You son of a bitch!" Walter cursed in anger. He expected a response but there was none. The evil and corruptive aura was already gone—Castor was gone.
"I think you should probably start getting to the museum immediately," Imaginary Cluster said. "I've seen that he's good at his threat."
Walter didn't say anything. He just kept quiet, staring into oblivion.
~
An unknown place
Everywhere was dark and creepy, filled with a thick fog which no one could see through. The place reeked of evil, making it more creepy. Several shrieks and howls could be heard from the dark fog. These shrieks and howls were filled with the purest form of evil, corrupting the whole place. The whole place was so evil and corrupt that by mere entering here, one's soul would be lost in evil and corruption, plunged into damnation for eternity.
"Everything is going as planned," a voice said from the fog. It was neither masculine nor feminine and was filled with mystery.
"Castor was sent to the Southern Continent to steal valuable information but was uncovered by Walter Anderson.
"Castor killed Mac and triggered Walter's emotions, the latter seeking revenge.
"Walter neglected his family in quest for vengeance and went to purchase a mystical item. Castor took this chance and kidnapped Walter's whole extended family.
"In exchange for his family, Walter must bring the Book Of Mysteries.
"In quest of bringing the Book Of Mysteries..."
The voice stopped talking. It was as if it was contemplating on what to say next—as if it was not sure about the next statement.
"What will happen?" another voice asked, driving away the silence which had lingered since the first voice stopped talking. Like the former voice, it was filled with mystery—unfathomable and incomprehensible.
"Another Destined One would be killed and lost forever," the first voice said.
"All this is to get the Destined One?" the second voice asked.
"Not just get him," the first voice continued. "Break him, harden him till he becomes evil."
"And then he'd be eventually hunted and killed by the scrawny Hands Of Arcane," the second voice said. "But who's this Destined One you've been talking about? We haven't seen any Destined One for thousands of years now."
"You might as well ask who the Fated One is as well," the first voice said. "The Destined One and the Fated One are like threads interwoven into each other. Their destinies are bound and cannot be loosen."
"Who are the Destined One and Fated One?" the second voice asked.
"You will see," the first voice said. "Wait for events to unfold themselves. Wait for fate to take its course. Wait for time to flow in its accord. Wait patiently for it is not long."
There was a pause, silence returning to the place. The silence was then drowned by the shrieks and howls before they were put to a halt by the first voice.
"Wait and you'd see who they are and what they are capable of. Mystery is the right word for them."